And after Part 1 and Part 2, I have the Top 10 right here, right now. Prepare to read and disagree. Let's finish this:
#10: Fox and the Hound
Last Time: #13
In this day and age, this one has grown on me. It is an underrated gem that was made during a tough time period in the Disney animation history and it was the final one to have the major touches of Disney’s Old Nine Men. And it was a wonderful swan song, as the heavy themes of prejudice and injustice prevails and it’s supported by beautiful animation, a heart wrenching story, and wonderful voice acting to tie it all together.
Fox and the Hound quietly started a trend in Disney animation that would eventually focus on deeper, heavier themes and would alter the usual Disney formula. There is no happy ending here, there isn’t a clear-cut story here. This is essentially Do the Right Thing minus the rioting and New York City setting. It is about becoming enemies with others without even knowing them, and not really even knowing why. And although Bambi, Lion King, and the modern gems Up and Toy Story 3 are more notorious for bringing the kids to tears, Fox and the Hound deserves just as much praise for elevating the emotions and hitting all the right notes---especially on that final act.
#9: Lady and the Tramp
Last Time: #12
One of the great cinematic love stories, Lady and the Tramp is one of those movies that has no outstanding strength, but is fully devoid of any weaknesses. The characters are memorable and likable, the film is beautifully drawn and animated with great detail (The rat scene being a wonderful example), the score is subtle and sweet, and of course there’s the infamous Bella Notte scene. It is probably the most famous kiss in the history of the medium.
Of course we have millions of talking animal movies, but this is the one that set the bar: the dogs have their own languages independent to that of the humans even though they share the same environment. This was the first movie to truly emphasize the fact that the animals have the same types of feelings and emotions as the humans roaming around with them. It sounds trivial and redundant, but do remember that Lady and the Tramp is nearly 60 years old. It is a quietly revolutionary animated work of art.
#8: Alice in Wonderland
Last Time: #11
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is nowhere near as accurate to the book as Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, it still has all the zany energy, dark British humor, and infinite layers of whimsical Dahl flavoring to make it the superior film by far. And this is exactly what Alice in Wonderland from Disney has done to every adaptation of the infamous book: become superior in every shape and form regardless of not being the most accurate one.
The trippy energy is extremely present. The animation is extremely bright and absolutely unpredictable. It remains one of the most unique-looking Disney films out there as stark incredible detail is contrasted by awkward clunky visuals. The entire movie feels like a roller coaster trip as we were treated from one insane moment to the next. Unlike most of your Disney princesses at the time, Alice doesn’t sit around, she is easily the most active leading lady until Ariel from Little Mermaid. It’s a very ballsy animated movie that left no stone unturned, and took dramatic creative risks. And although it didn’t pay off back then, it’s widely regarded as one of the best today.
P.S. This is much better than Burton's version by a long long long long shot.
#7: Sleeping Beauty
Last Time: #6
This is Fantasia with a plot and an incredible villain. The movie is mostly devoid of dialogue, instead focusing on beautifully spellbinding visuals combined with a musical score that was decades old at the time but redone perfectly by the Walt Disney crew. Yes, the Princess and the Prince don’t speak in the final 20 minutes of the movie, but that’s forgotten when you see the final action sequence climaxed by an epic showdown against Maleficent’s dragon transformation.
Sleeping Beauty was ambitious, was epic in scale, and required every bit of effort from the animation team, and I assure you it was a nasty hassle not only drawing that fire in the opening sequence, but creating an entirely brand new style of animation from scratch. In terms of animation achievement, Sleeping Beauty is quite possibly the best of them all in terms of what it accomplished in its time period. Now throw in memorable characters, beautiful music, a dastardly villain, and the Disney touch and you have yourself one of the best animated films of all-time.
#6: Cinderella
Last Time: #3
Sleeping Beauty elevated the animation game to the next level. Cinderella on the other hand essentially created a brand new genre in the history of film: the Cinderella story. The story about the person on the bottom of the barrel through hard work and good circumstances rising to the top and reaching levels that he/she couldn’t even imagine. Cinderella from Disney created this formula, and it works every single time; from a modern spin like Pretty Woman and Mean Girls to sports movies like Rocky and Bad News Bears.
The rare Disney movie with four antagonists (think about it, honestly), Hitchcock suspense, and a cat named after Satan, Cinderella is Disney magic at its peak, entertaining, full of great music and characters, and dozens of classic scenes that have made its way into the pop culture lexicon. Quietly this movie saved Disney animation with its box office success and revival of the Disney brand into the film industry. We may have Cinderella overkill nowadays, but its original impact in film back in the 1950s was nothing short of groundbreaking.
#5: The Jungle Book
Last Time: #5
Walt Disney’s Swan Song. This was the last film Disney personally put his suggestions and finishing touches on, and it is an absolute beast. The first animated film to actually get a few murmurs for a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, The Jungle Book has some of the best visuals and music in history. It was also shockingly hilarious, especially for an older Disney flick. And the recurring Disney formula of memorable characters, memorable music, and memorable moments is in full blast here; from the elephant march to the vultures’ Beatles serenade, to the chase sequence in King Louie’s palace, to the climactic showdown against a psychotic tiger.
The Sherman Brothers, Nine Old Men, Mr. Disney himself collaborated perfectly here, and for the last time unfortunately. And in this final film, they threw everything except the kitchen sink here: dozens of animals, a totally mixed bag of environments, popular actors lending their voices, and we nearly even had The Beatles in here for crying out loud! Jungle Book was in an extremely crowded cinematic year (1967: Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, etc.) but should have gotten Oscars for Sound, Music, and Song for sure. This movie is arguably perfect, a visual feast, and a great way to exit your career. Thanks for everything, Mr. Walt Disney.
#4: Aladdin
Last Time: #7
There is indeed a bit of bias bringing Aladdin all the way up here. But here me out: the music, the action, the supporting cast, the damsel in distress being quite strong on her own, the surprises, the humor, the evil villain that nearly kills our hero in THREE different instances! And lastly, the revolutionary performance from Robin Williams, which would transform voice acting into a pure art form, one that can enhance a movie when given enough room.
Aladdin wastes no time, with a few songs and a few action-packed moments within the first 10 minutes. And by the time it’s all over we see the Disney Renaissance in full play: Broadway music, Oscar-worthy performances, articulate attention to detail, sweeping visuals, the showstopping song, the romantic song, and the dosage of old-school Disney magic that had been missing from Disney’s death all the way up to 1989 with Little Mermaid. It was risky, it was fast-paced, it was intense, and climaxed with a final sequence that tested the younglings---after all, our hero was fighting an invincible enemy that can turn into a cobra. Aladdin may not be too deep on themes, but its an extremely entertaining movie that mixes blockbuster action with the Disney aura that hovers over your favorite childhood memories.
#3: The Emperor’s New Groove
Last Time: #4
Well, this had to happen. The Emperor’s New Groove is the equivalent of the blue collar workers fighting against the Big Boss. This movie is so anti-Disney its hilarious, it breaks so many rules that was associated with the Disney Renaissance and the Disney Formula that you may wonder if any of the writers and animators even kept their job when the film finally came out. What started out as a failed project became an insane animated comedy that gave us an unlikable main character, a likable duo of villains, another great John Goodman performance, plenty of sarcasm, destruction of the fourth wall, and a pace so fast that it never slows down to give us any musical numbers. The Emperor’s New Groove has so much subtle adult humor it pulls a Rocko’s Modern Life and sneaks by the censors before anybody notices anything.
After years of serious Disney productions we finally got the immature slacker flick that was perfect for those getting rather sick of the Broadway Disney that was starting to wear its welcome (Shrek would be the peak anti-Disney period with its box office surprise and even more surprising Oscar win). Everything about this movie worked and hit, and just delivered an experience unlike anything we had ever seen from Disney---before and since. The animation took a slight step backwards and allowed humor and clever writing to be front and center. Although it won’t be mentioned as part of the Disney Renaissance, it remains the best imitation of Chuck Jones we have seen in the last 20 years.
#2: Beauty and the Beast
Last Time: #2
The first animated film to truly actually deserve a Best Picture nomination, and could have even won it if it had not come out with the eerily perfect Silence of the Lambs. Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece, plain and simple. The heavy adult themes are everywhere, the music is top-notch perfect, the cast is excellent from voicing to execution, the art direction and editing was magnificent, and there isn’t a single wasted moment. Beauty and the Beast is one of the 50 greatest films of all-time, guaranteed. It gave us a lot of Disney at-the-time rarities: a princess with an actual humanized personality, character development coming from the prince, the handsome person actually being the villain, and lastly an aura of a sweeping epic that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz.
I was 4 when I first saw Beauty and the Beast in theaters, and I vividly remember the theater being enamored from the first second to the last. Sometimes a movie transcends being just popcorn entertainment and becomes something more, becomes a part of your life, becomes a part of your conscious. Beauty and the Beast is the benchmark for modern Disney films, and believe it or not from Aladdin to even Frozen, no Disney Renaissance I/II movie has matched the 1991 gem. It is beautiful even today, and will remain beautiful long after we are all gone.
#1: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Last Time: Also #1
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh represents everything Disney in every conceivable aspect: from the way a Disney film looks to even the way the image of Disney is branded into our psyche. Winnie the Pooh is flawless, harmless, lighthearted entertainment that has an intense amount of childhood magic that is absolutely inescapable. The animation, the music, the light and airy way we are taken from scene to scene, and all the details spiraling out of the movie like a childhood book brought to life; Winnie the Pooh didn’t just create one of the most popular animated cast of characters of all-time, but would set the tone as to how the Disney parks would look and feel. If there is a movie that best resembles the sensation of entering and engaging yourself in the Magic Kingdom, this one would absolutely be it.
Three stories woven into one overarching tale about a boy and his friends in the years before he needs to grow up and enter the world of education, Winnie the Pooh is the perfect allegory for how you view the world and how you feel about it prior to entering the real world. Happiness peaks when you are a kid, as the little things in life like bubbles, balloons, toys fills your heart with glee—long before the essentials become required from you. And not a single movie can capture this short era of your life like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Even the nightmares here are cute and huggable.
This is Walt Disney Animation’s crowning achievement, hands-down. It’s perfect. It’s the perfect childhood movie. It’s the perfect family movie. And it’s the perfect movie to introduce your future kids into the unique and engaging world of Walt Disney. And I know most of you, all of you will disagree. But I personally don’t see another Disney animated movie occupying this spot.
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